Wireless or mobile telecommunications networks are generally known in the art. A MS (e.g., a mobile telephone or other mobile or wireless end user device) obtains service and/or access to the wireless network via an over-the-air radio frequency (RF) interface with a base station (BS). Each BS provides the over-the-air interface for and/or serves a particular geographic coverage area known as a cell. Typically, a plurality of base stations are operatively connected to and/or served by a mobile switching center (MSC) that is responsible for routing traffic for a particular MS to the appropriate BS currently serving that MS (i.e., to the cell in which the MS is currently located). Commonly, in a wireless network, there are a plurality of such MSCs each serving a distinct collection of cells and/or base stations.
Generally, each MSC may serve a large number of cells. For example, a typical MSC may serve on the order of 200 cells. Often, the cells served by any one MSC are further divided or partitioned into distinct subsets or zones known as location areas (LAs). Each LA generally includes a plurality of neighboring cells served by the MSC. For example, each LA may contain on average around 50 cells and accordingly a typical MSC may include approximately 4 LAs.
The “mobility” in mobile communications is commonly achieved in part via two communication channels with the MS, namely, a paging channel and an access channel. The paging channel is used to verify and/or establish the location of the MS within the network and to deliver incoming calls to the MS. The access channel is used by the MS for registration purposes, i.e., to report power-up of the MS, to report changes in the location of the MS, etc.
Typically, a mobile service provider seeks to maximize the number of busy hour call attempts (BHCA) in order to serve an increasing number of mobile subscribers. One obstacle to achieving this goal, however, is the availability of sufficient paging channel bandwidth. While there are known ways to increase paging capacity, they often involve considerable expense and/or lead time, e.g., adding new bandwidth. Accordingly, it is desirable to optimize the usage of existing paging channel bandwidth.
Typically, when an incoming call arrives at a particular MSC that is intended for a specific MS, the MSC implements a designated paging strategy in an attempt to find the MS and deliver the call. That is to say, the MSC generally signals one or more of the base stations it serves to transmit paging signals over their paging channels to verify or establish the location of the MS within one of the cells served by the MSC. Generally, the MSC remembers or otherwise has access to information regarding the last known location of the MS being sought and the paging strategy may optionally be tailored accordingly. For example, the particular LA and/or cell in which the MS was located when the MS last accessed and/or communicated with the wireless network may be recorded (e.g., in a designated database (DB) or elsewhere) or otherwise remembered. Generally, these locations are referred to herein as the last seen or known LA or the last seen or known cell. However, due to the mobile nature of the MS, the MS may no longer be in one of the cells served by the particular MSC seeking the MS and accordingly the page goes unanswered.
Generally, when the first MSC (i.e., the anchor MSC) cannot locate the desired MS within its boundaries (i.e., when the paging strategy implemented by the anchor MSC is unsuccessful), the anchor MSC will then send an “intersystem page” request (e.g., an IS-41 ISPAGE2 message) to, e.g., a neighboring MSC (i.e., a border MSC). In response to the intersystem page request, the border MSC will in turn implement a designated paging strategy in an attempt to find the MS being sought.
The intersystem page request received by the border MSC commonly includes a “LocationAreaID” (LAID) parameter which the border MSC reads and/or otherwise uses to determine how to page the MS being sought. Conventionally, the anchor MSC (i.e., the MSC sending the intersystem page request) populates or fills the LAID parameter with a value indicating the last seen LA or the last seen cell for the MS being sought. In either case, the border MSC has to process this last seen location value to determine how and/or where to page the MS. For example, a database or the like has to be provisioned that can be used by the border MSC to identify how and/or where (i.e., in which cells served by the border MSC) to execute paging based on the LAID value obtained from the intersystem page request. However, such provisioning can be extensive and accordingly undesirable to carry out. Moreover, current provisioning at the border MSC usually results in the border MSC paging an entire LA, which can include on average around 50 cells. Such a large use of paging resources is generally undesirable.
Accordingly, a new and improved paging system and/or method for a wireless telecommunications network is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.